Moo Shu Pork Recipe

“The October Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Shelley of C Mom Cook and her sister Ruth of The Crafts of Mommyhood. They challenged us to bring a taste of the East into our home kitchens by making our own Moo Shu, including thin pancakes, stir fry and sauce.”

Thank you Shelley and Ruth for giving us such a great challenge. I must admit I am not a stranger to Moo Shu pork, it is something I have made before. We eat a fair bit of Asian food in our household, I enjoy the flavours and find it quick and satisfying on a weeknight. Sure there are many dishes from around Asia that require hours of preparation, and I enjoy making those too, but nothing beats a stir fry or noodles mid week.

Moo shu pork (moo shi/mu shu or mu xu pork) originates from Northern China, possibly originally from Shandong. It is served with warm moo shu pancakes (mandarin pancakes) similar to what is served with Peking Duck. Actually the recipe that was provided is nearly the same as the one I use to make my pancakes to accompany Peking Duck. Sauce is also served, usually hoisin sauce.

I decided to attempt this challenge on a week night after work. Yes, there is nothing like a challenge on a busy week night, especially when you are making pancakes from scratch! Surprisingly it didn’t take as long as I thought and dinner wasn’t too late.

Moo Shu Pancakes

Course:
Main (entree)

Prep Time:40minutes

Servings:30

Calories:61kcal

Author:Sara McCleary

Shelley and Ruth had tried three different methods of making the pancakes. I chose to use her third method as that was the way I am use to making them and I find it very successful. The recipe made about 30 pancakes, any excess pancakes freeze very well for later use.

Ingredients

4cupsall-purpose flour

1½cupboiling water

1teaspoonvegetable oil

Dry flour for dusting

Instructions

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Gently pour in the water, stirring as you pour, then stir in the oil. Knead the mixture into a soft but firm dough. If your dough is dry, add more water, one tablespoon at a time, to reach the right consistency. Cover with a damp towel and let stand for about 30 minutes.

Lightly dust the surface of a worktop with dry flour. Knead the dough for 6-8 minutes or until smooth, then divide into 3 equal portions. Roll out each portion into a long sausage and cut each sausage into 8-10 pieces. Keep the dough that you are not actively working with covered with a lightly damp dish cloth to keep it from drying out.

Working two pieces of dough at a time, roll each piece into a three inch pancake. Using a pastry brush, brush sesame oil onto the top of one of the pancakes, and top it with the other pancake. Further roll the doubled pancake into a 6 to 8 inch circle.

Place an un-greased frying pan over high heat. Once the pan is hot, lower the heat to low and place the pancakes, one at a time, in the pan. Remove when little light-brown spots appear on the underside. Just be careful separating the pancakes after cooking them on both sides –heat (steam) does get caught between them, so don't burn your fingers! Cover with a damp cloth until ready to serve.

Nutrition Facts

Moo Shu Pancakes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 61

% Daily Value*

Potassium 17mg0%

Total Carbohydrates 12g4%

Protein 1g2%

Calcium0.3%

Iron4.3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Pancakes sandwiched together ready to be rolled thin

Pancakes cooking (okay they aren’t perfect)

Separating the pancakes once out of the pan

Moo Shu Pork

Course:
Main (entree)

Prep Time:20minutes

Cook Time:6minutes

Total Time:26minutes

Servings:12

Calories:115kcal

Author:Sara McCleary

The pork mixture was extremely quick and easy to make. The recipe called for wood ear mushrooms, but I substituted dried shitake.

Heat about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) oil in a preheated wok and scramble the eggs until set, but not too hard. Remove and keep to one side.

Heat the remaining oil. Stir-fry the shredded pork for about 1 minute or until the colour changes. Add the fungus, bamboo shoots, Chinese cabbage and scallions. Stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes, then add the remaining salt, soy sauce and wine. Blend well and continue stirring for another 2 minutes. Add the scrambled eggs, stirring to break them into small bits. Add the sesame oil and blend well.

To serve: place about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of hot Moo Shu in the centre of a warm pancake, rolling it into a parcel with the bottom end turned up to prevent the contents from falling out. Eat with your fingers.

Nutrition Facts

Moo Shu Pork

Amount Per Serving

Calories 115Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 4g20%

Cholesterol 64mg21%

Sodium 318mg13%

Potassium 215mg6%

Total Carbohydrates 1g0%

Protein 10g20%

Vitamin A4.2%

Vitamin C2.5%

Calcium2.4%

Iron4.8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Moo shu & pancakes

I made two versions of hoisin sauce to accompany our pancakes. The Challenge recipe below and my own that I tend to make to go with a variety of things.

Ingredients

Instructions

Mix all of the above together in a small sauce pan and heat through. I sometimes add a splash of water if needed to make it slightly runnier.

Nutrition Facts

My Hoisin Sauce

Amount Per Serving

Calories 25Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 1g2%

Sodium 262mg11%

Potassium 25mg1%

Total Carbohydrates 2g1%

Sugars 1g

Calcium0.3%

Iron0.9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Josh actually preferred the challenge recipe with the moo shu. I liked mine as it is slightly thicker and didn’t drip out of the pancakes. Both were great sauces to accompany and I am glad I made the challenge one.

To Serve

Serve pork, pancakes and sauce separately and let your diners assemble the pancakes themselves. Spread some sauce on to a pancake and then top with the pork mixture, roll and eat.

Comments

Looking at your Moo shu makes me want to make it again, of course using some other kind of mushroom 🙂 Your pancakes turned out so perfect, so thin and beautiful! Great job on the challenge!Renata recently posted..TRIÂNGULO KIMBAP – Um lanche popular na Coréia

Hi Lizzy, they were
Hi Renata, your moo shu rocked, you are being very kind
Hi Gaby, amazing what a few folds can hide, lol
Hi Lorraine, thanks, not sure what came over me to do it on a week night
Hi Martyna, all pork is yummy (drool) I totally agree, but thanks
Hi Vivian, it really is a nice dishSara recently posted..Happy Lab